Boot-cleaner.



PATENTED MAY '7, 1907.

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ANDREW C. HOUGHTON, OF WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA.

BOOT-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 7, 1907.

Application filed November 1, 1905. Serial No. 285,383-

To 00% whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ANDREW CHARLTON HoUenToN, of the city, of Winnipeg,in the county of Selkirk, Province of Manitoba, Do minion of Canada,have invented certain new further objects being to provide means where--by the brushes may be easily removed and replaced and to provide meanson the device for scraping the mud from off the bottoms and sides of theboots; and it consists essentially of a suitable casing adapted to reston the ground in the ends of which are journaled two mat coveredrollers, the upper halves of which protrude above the top of the casing,said casing having flanges formed integral with the sides and extendingoutwardly to act as mud scrapers, a suitable dirt receiving pan beingalso placed inside the casing underneath the rollers adapted to receivethe dirt and mud as it dries and drops off the rollers, the variousparts of the device being con structed and arranged in detail ashereinafter more particularly described.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of my revolving door mat and mudscraper. Fig. 2 shows a sectional view through the same.

In the drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding partsin each figure.

A is the casing comprising end. members a a and side members a a allrigidly secured together by means of bolts (1- or other suitable means.A plurality of rollers B B preferably comprising wooden rollers 11covered by any suitable form of door matting b are pro vided. Shafts I)extend through the rollers and are journaled in bearing grooves aprovided in the ends of the casing. The grooves are situated that therollers when in position will be just a short distance apart and l.preferably provide a plurality of these grooves whereby when the matwears down the rollers may be moved closer together. It will be seenthat the rollers are supported with the upper halves extending above thecasing, and it will also be'readily understood that in place ofemploying wooden rollers covered wit-l1 matting cylindrical brushesmight be used to accomplish the same result.

The upper portions of the side members a a of the casing are turnedoutward and upward above the end members a, a and are reduced to a thinedge in order to constitute scrapers for the removal of mud from thesole of the shoe. By locating these scrapers parallel to the axes of thebrushes, they may be formed integral with the top of the casing withoutinterfering with the open journals in which the shafts b are journaled,which would be the case were it attempted to form them integral with theend members. Attention is called to the fact that these scrapersapproach almost into contact with the outer sides of the brushes andextend for some little distance above the plane of their axes, thusconstituting efficient guards for said brushes and insuring that adirect sidewise jar or shock will not dislodge them from their openbearings.

Below the rollers inside the casing a dirt receiving pan C is placedresting on the same support as the casing A but not being con nectedthereto whereby the rollers may be removed and the dust pan lifted outof position without disturbing the casing which will necessarily be of asomewhat heavy nature.

In the operation of my device the user simply inserts his boot betweenthe rollers and moves it up and down and thus the sides as well as thebottom will be thoroughly cleaned.

hat I claim as my invention is 1-- In a boot cleaner, the combination ofa casing comprising side and end members, the latter being provided intheir upper edges with a plurality of open journal bearings, and of apair of brushes mounted rotativcly in the top of the casing parallel tothe side members and having axial shafts resting in said journalbearings, the upper portions of said side members being extended abovethe end members in close proximity to the outer sides of the brushes andturned outward and upward to constitute at once guards for said brushesand scrapers for removing mud.

Signed at WVinnipeg, in the Province of Manitoba, this nineteenth day ofOctober,

ANDREW O. HOUGHTON. WVitnesses W. J. CHRISTIE, J. FRED. SMITH.

